11/18/13

Hinman Happenings: The Public Service Learning Community Gets Engaged




Written by: Melanie McCullough and Lauren Murphy


This year, Hinman has seen the creation of a new Public Service Learning Community (PSLC) in Hughes Hall. Comprised of two floors, the PSLC is aimed at encouraging and promoting service. Students who have chosen to live on the floors have committed to perform 15 hours of community service during the fall semester and participate in biweekly seminars in leadership development. In the spring they will work in groups to organize their own large scale service project. Projects will be focused on a variety of issues including poverty, the environment, youth, and community health. 
For the larger Hinman community, the ALIVE (Achieving Leadership in Volunteer Experiences) points program is starting up again, and is under the new leadership of Clare Gilroy, Service and Leadership Vice President of Hinman College Council. "ALIVE is Hinman’s motto," espouses Brian Barrett, last years’ Service and Leadership Vice President. The ALIVE points program was started by Barrett last year and continues to be popular among Hinman residents. The points program provides incentives for Hinman students to record their community service hours. “This program acts as recognition and encouragement for students to get involved in the community” says Barrett. This year, students can look forward to new prizes, as well as “Service Saturdays,” a new initiative conceived of by Clare Gilroy. Service Saturdays take place one weekend per month and are an opportunity for Hinman students to participate in a large scale service project together. So far, projects have included a river clean up and plant pot decorating event, which benefited a local nursing home. We look forward to the future contributions of Brian, Clare, and all of our service leaders and to the continued development of an ethic of service within Hinman and across the entire campus. 


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